IT ALL BEGAN WITH A DREAM.
Daniel Dean Jr. was born on January 31st, 1996 in Camp LeJeune, NC. In 2006, his father Daniel Dean Sr. bought himself and Dean dirt track go-karts to run at Highway 24 Raceway and various racetracks around North Carolina.
After three solid years of racing, Dean moved to Georgia following the divorce of his parents, pausing his racing career indefinitely. After graduating from Long County High School in 2014, he would enlist in the United States Air Force for six years as a 2W231, or Nuclear Weapons Technician, making him the fourth generation in his family to join the military.
“Sergeant Dean, I heard you want to go overseas…”
HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL.
After graduating technical training in 2015, Daniel Dean Jr. was stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. It didn’t take long for him to find the local racetrack, but it would be awhile before being able to get back behind the drivers seat.
In 2018, Dean entered into the Warrior series at Big Country Speedway in Cheyenne, WY. After an unfortunate practice session, his racecar experienced a fatal malfunction. While building his second car, Dean would be tasked with an overseas assignment for 365 days to Incirlik Air Base, Adana, Turkey.
“I’m at the field I’ve always wanted to be at, but I’m on the wrong side of the fence.”
- Daniel Dean Jr., 2020
THE NEXT CHAPTER.
In 2020, Dean would leave Incirlik AB for his next adventure after a 542 day tour thanks to the DoD SkillsBridge Program. He would begin his pro racing career as a mechanic and tire carrier for Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing. Dean was one of two mechanics (plus the crew chief) for JJCR, making them a three-man shop.
After a long season of NASCAR, Dean realized he “…was at the field I always wanted to be at, but I’m on the wrong side of the fence”. After a lot of thought, he would part ways with JJCR. At the end of his internship, he would depart from the United States Air Force and join the civilian world once again. Dean achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant (E-5) and was awarded the rank of Technical Sergeant (E-6), but would separate before pinning on his last promotion. He capped off his Air Force career as a 2W271, Nuclear Weapons Craftsman.
GAINING TRACTION.
At the beginning of 2021, Daniel Dean Jr. attended his first event at Motorsport 4the Masses (M4theM), where he started teaching high performance drivers education (HPDE). M4theM would build upon Dean’s circle track experience, teaching him valuable skills for road course driving and high performance driving as a whole.
Thanks to the experience he gained from M4theM, Dean was hired as a professional ride-along driver for Rusty Wallace Racing Experience. There, he would learn even more from other pro drivers from various backgrounds while driving prior NASCAR Cup Cars on active NASCAR tracks at speeds upwards of 170 mph. At the end of 2021, Dean struck a deal with Tech Racing to drive late models at Orange County Speedway.
LATE MODEL ROOKIE.
Dean came onto the circuit in 2022 making appearances at three different tracks within North Carolina: Wake County Speedway, Goodyear All-American Speedway, and Orange County Speedway. While competing in both Late Model and Charger Late Model classes on a weekly level, Dean’s rookie year would also bring his first NASCAR Division 1 start and even allow him to make his Touring Late Model debut at the Orange Blossom Shootout.
Dean capped his year off with 1 pole position, 8 top 10s, 4 top 5s, and 1 win. He finished his search for a podium by placing 4th in points in the Late Model championship, 2nd in points for the Charger Late Model championship, and would be good enough for him to bring home the 2022 Orange County Speedway Charger Late Model Rookie of the Year.
After taking a 2 year hiatus from full-time competition, Daniel Dean Jr. announced his return behind the wheel to chase his first Charger Late Model championship at Southern National Motorsports Park.
However, Dean would not return in the No. 57 Chevrolet SS. He wanted to show his appreciation to Thomas Chappell and the rest of the team, so it was announced Chappell would be putting Dean behind the wheel of the flagship No. 4 Chappell Resources Chevrolet Camaro for the entire 10-race schedule.